When politicians talk about eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, they frame it as a cost-cutting measure, a bureaucratic trim for leaner governance. But let’s be clear: dismantling the Department isn’t just an administrative shift — it’s a direct economic attack on women and girls, with consequences that will ripple through every household, business and community in America. The stakes aren’t just educational; they’re economic, and the price will be paid by all of us.
On Monday, Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) abruptly canceled dozens of federally funded education research contracts — totaling nearly $900 million — that provide critical insights into school performance, student safety, and best practices in teaching, including special education funding.
This move comes just days after President Trump signed an executive order expanding Musk’s authority over the federal workforce, effectively giving his quasi-government agency greater control over which programs survive and which are scrapped — regardless of their impact on students, teachers and the economy.
For more than four decades, the Department of Education has been a catalyst for gender equity, ensuring that girls and women — regardless of zip code — can access the opportunities that fuel economic mobility. Its programs aren’t abstract policies; they’re the very backbone of the labor force pipeline that drives our nation’s prosperity.
Title IX, for example, is not just about fairness in sports — it’s an economic engine that has helped narrow the gender gap in education and expanded pathways for women into higher-paying fields like STEM, business and law. Without the Department to enforce it, gender discrimination doesn’t just creep back in — it floods the gates.
The economic math is clear
Closing the gender wage gap could add $512 billion to the U.S. economy. Achieving full gender parity in labor force participation? That’s a $1.9 trillion GDP boost annually. These aren’t hypothetical numbers; they’re missed opportunities — dollars left on the table that we cannot reclaim without education as the foundation.
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To understand why education is the foundation of gender equity, we must examine the three key factors shaping economic opportunity: educational attainment, labor force participation and wages.
Education is the bedrock of this equation, directly influencing labor force participation and earning potential. The data is clear — higher levels of education correlate with increased labor force participation rates. Between 1970 and 2018, the proportion of working women ages 25 to 64 with college degrees quadrupled, and with that increase, women added $2 trillion to the U.S. economy through their expanded participation in the labor force.
By 2015, women became the most educated cohort in the U.S. workforce, now earning 58 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and above. This progress has translated into higher earnings, greater economic mobility, and increased contributions to GDP. Yet, without equitable access to education, gender disparities in employment and wages will persist, constraining economic growth and innovation. Ensuring educational equity isn’t just a fairness issue — it’s an economic imperative for a more competitive and prosperous nation.
The connection between education and economic growth isn’t a theory—it’s a fact. Every dollar invested in a girl’s education increases her future earnings by 10-20 percent. Multiply that by millions of girls across the country, and the compounded effect is transformative for the economy. Education is the most powerful equalizer, and the Department of Education is the guardian of that equalizer. Removing it is like cutting the engine from a plane mid-flight and expecting it to stay in the air.
Title I and Pell Grants: economic lifelines, not handouts
Federal education programs like Title I and Pell Grants have been pivotal in reducing poverty rates among women, particularly women of color, who face systemic barriers compounded by gender and race. These programs aren’t just about getting kids into classrooms — they’re about creating pathways out of poverty and into the labor force.
Title I funding targets schools with high percentages of children from low-income families, ensuring that these students — many of whom are girls — have access to quality education, advanced coursework, and extracurricular activities that build leadership skills. Without this funding, schools in underserved areas would face devastating resource gaps, directly impacting girls who already face higher risks of dropping out due to caregiving responsibilities, early pregnancies or lack of support systems.
Meanwhile, Pell Grants make higher education accessible for low-income students, the majority of whom are women. In fact, women make up 62 percent of Pell Grant recipients. These grants are not just academic support — they’re economic lifelines that enable women to earn degrees, increase their earning potential, and break intergenerational cycles of poverty.
The STEM Gap: A missed opportunity for economic growth
The Department of Education also plays a critical role in addressing gender disparities in STEM fields — industries that drive innovation and economic competitiveness. Despite progress, women make up only 28 percent of the STEM workforce in the U.S. This isn’t just a diversity problem; it’s an economic problem.
STEM jobs are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying in the economy. By not fully tapping into the talent pool of women, we’re leaving billions in potential economic output on the table. Women in STEM earn 33 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts, which directly contributes to closing the gender wage gap.
The Department’s funding for STEM programs in K-12 education is crucial for encouraging girls to pursue careers in these fields. Without targeted investments, the STEM pipeline for girls dries up before it even starts, limiting both individual economic potential and national competitiveness.
The ripple effect: Education, poverty and economic dependency
Education is not just a personal achievement; it’s a public good with ripple effects across society. Higher educational attainment is linked to lower poverty rates, better health outcomes and reduced dependency on social safety nets.
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For women, the connection is even more pronounced. Breadwinning mothers who are single are twice as likely to live in poverty than breadwinning fathers who are single. Increasing their education attainment by one level, from high school to a bachelor’s degree, reduces their poverty rate by 68 percent%. Eliminating the Department of Education would strip away programs that support these women, from childcare assistance for student-parents to job training programs that help them re-enter the workforce.
Without these supports, we’ll see increased reliance on public assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and housing subsidies — not because people aren’t working hard, but because the ladder of opportunity has been kicked out from under them. And make no mistake: when economic inequality rises, it doesn’t just hurt those at the bottom. It weakens the entire economy.
Early childhood education: The best investment we’re not making enough
Let’s talk about early childhood education, one of the highest-return investments we can make. Every dollar invested in early education yields up to $7 in economic returns through higher graduation rates, increased earnings, and reduced crime rates. Programs like Head Start, funded by the Department of Education, provide critical support for low-income families, ensuring that children — especially girls — start school ready to learn.
What would American democracy look like in the hands of teenage girls?
Without federal oversight and funding, these programs are at risk. And when early education falters, it’s girls who suffer disproportionately. Research shows that girls from low-income families are more likely to take on caregiving roles for younger siblings, reducing their own educational opportunities. This creates a vicious cycle of poverty that’s hard to break without systemic intervention.
The cost of inaction: What happens if we get this wrong
The economic risks of eliminating the Department of Education aren’t theoretical — they’re measurable. The gender equity gap already costs the U.S. economy $3.1 trillion. Without the Department’s programs and protections these gaps will widen and the cost will grow.
Moreover, eliminating the Department would weaken enforcement of Title IX, jeopardizing decades of progress in fighting sexual harassment and discrimination in schools and colleges. This isn’t just about fairness; it’s about economic security. For students who face discrimination or harassment, their dropout rate is 29 percent above average, reducing their lifetime earnings by a minimum of $300,000 and up to $630,000.
This isn’t about politics — It’s about prosperity
Eliminating the Department of Education isn’t just a policy proposal; it’s an economic regression. It’s pulling the plug on programs that pay dividends not just for women and girls, but for the American economy as a whole. If we want to remain competitive on the global stage, foster innovation, and build an economy that works for everyone, we can’t afford to undo the very systems that have helped us get here.
This isn’t about politics — it’s about prosperity. And prosperity demands equity.
Katica Roy